Recently at the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association in Melbourne, DNV GL presented designs for a new unmanned FLNG (Floating Liquefied Natural Gas) concept called ‘Solitude’ to unlock the potential of remote offshore gas fields. The remoteness of offshore gas fields & personal safety were the two considerations that were kept in mind by DNV GL when it started working on Solitude. Floating above an offshore natural gas field, ‘Solitude’ will theoretically produce, liquefy, store and transfer LNG at sea before carrier ships transport it directly to markets. An unmanned FLNG facility will lead to an approx. 20% reduction in operating expenditure with only a few percentile increases in capital expenditure. Such innovative projects by DNV GL show the organization’s commitment towards sustainable and safe development while reducing its carbon footprint.
As there will be no one living on board or working on the topside during normal operation, the associated personal safety risks are eliminated. When people do enter for large maintenance campaigns, the topside would be prepared for a safe working environment. A new support and accommodation vessel concept and its associated docking system on the FLNG further boost the safety of interventions.
Existing frontier oil and gas projects have resulted in tremendous technological developments, particularly in the subsea realm, and Solitude draws on this,” says Ms. Torstad. “Operators are already controlling subsea installations and simple, fixed offshore installations from shore. Given the on-going advances in autonomous systems and remote operations, unmanned offshore installations are a natural development over the next few decades.”
“While Solitude is a holistic concept, many of its solutions can be implemented independently – and some are already available today. These projects are our way of thinking out loud. Our aim is to present high-level concepts that can form a basis for discussion and be further developed in collaboration with the industry. We see Solitude as a new opportunity for the future,” ends Elisabeth Torstad.
Courtesy of DNV GL via DownstreamToday
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